Franklin County Board of Commissioners approved a “public forum ordinance” this week in response to the ongoing
lawsuit over a nativity scene displayed on the county’s courthouse lawn during the holiday season.

Some are good at networking, others not so good. With the development of the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Indy Attorneys
Network Section, lawyers old and new, those skilled at networking and those not as adept, have found there are always opportunities
to meet and connect with colleagues and that doing so builds camaraderie and strengthens the local legal community.

This year could be described as a historic one for Indiana. The state's ban on gay marriage was overturned by the courts,
and, for the first time, a woman was chosen as chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. In fact, women are leading most
of the courts in Indiana. In 2014, we saw changes in the law schools, a new criminal code implemented, and attorneys in trouble
with the court and the law. (Remember the attorney who doesn't like to wear socks?)

Judy Stanton was not immediately attracted to the law. She graduated from college and started a family. But an article she
read in the mid-1970s in her alumni magazine about lawyers sparked her interest in the law. She's since spent more than 30
years helping the underserved.

The Children’s Policy & Law Initiative of Indiana is partnering with Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School
of Law and Marion County Public Defender Agency to help individuals who have a juvenile record start the expungement process.

A hero of the civil rights movement urged Indiana lawyers Thursday to fight “the tyrants among us” who he said
lurk not only in hate groups, but also prey on the poor and disenfranchised from boardrooms and legislatures.

Describing the justice that comes from law as “rough or limited,” Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin urged lawyers,
judges and law students to stay connected with God “who is perfect justice, mercy and love.”

Indiana Legal Services and Heartland Pro Bono Council will be using a portion of a class-action settlement to help Indianapolis
residents who have battled payday loan companies or suffered other consumer rights abuses.

A financial boost for legal aid is expected to come from one of the banks that contributed to the 2008 economic collapse.
The money will bring much-needed funding to the state’s pro bono districts which have been crippled by dwindling revenues
and growing client lists. While the money will help, some say it should have come sooner.

Like many young adults in the 1960s, Norman Metzger was inspired by the belief that it is possible to change the world. After
a lifetime in public service, the 75-year-old attorney has never lost his passion to make things better for those who have
little means and often no voice.

Indiana’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account program is expecting to receive a portion of the federal government’s
historic multi-billion-dollar settlement with Bank of America, bringing a much-needed influx of funds to the program that
has suffered dramatic declines in revenues as a result of the economic recession.

At its most basic level, Lafayette Urban Ministry's immigration services clinic is about family. That notion was in the
forefront of Jefferson High School senior Devon Wolfe's mind as he designed the logo for the newly launched clinic.